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THE ALLEYNIAN 709
OPINION, INTERVIEWS & FEATURES
Rohan Patel (Year 13) reflects on an exciting year as one of the school’s Vice-Captains
Jamie Chong (Year 12) looks back on a partnership project close to his heart
One Voice,
Two Schools
Lockdown relaunched virtual learning, which meant that many of us found ourselves once again losing the social aspect of our lives, which we treasure so much. Hunched in front of our devices all day, we yearned for refreshing and thoughtful discussion. The Lent Term launch of ‘One Voice, Two Schools’, a student-led project between Dulwich College and City Heights E-Act Academy, allowed for just that kind of discursive, collaborative approach, together with a special focus on social justice. The project, arising from an idea of my own, came to fruition thanks to the hard work and creativity of Jason and Randa, two Year 11 students from City Heights, who joined together with me and with Ms Akrill and Ms McGregor, English teachers from the two schools. The pandemic exposed the plentiful cracks in Britain’s infrastructure. To many of us sitting at home, no longer distracted by the daily tumult of life, the disparities in society became so much clearer: racial injustice was brought to the forefront of our minds with the Black Lives Matter movement. This was followed by the anti-Asian violence in the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak, after which the tragedy of Sarah Everard’s murder illuminated the culture of oppression that women face. And let’s not forget the class inequality that is evident on our very doorsteps. It felt so important to discuss these topics, because when we stay at home all day, losing track of time, the danger is that these thoughts could overwhelm us. It was also important that our discussions avoided being centred around those with the same surroundings as us, and that we explored the views of people who have different perspectives on the world that we live in. These ideas led to the conception of the ‘One Voice, Two Schools’ project, which aimed to offer a platform for students to learn about the world around us and discuss their own thoughts about it, while also, and perhaps most importantly, listening to the opinions of others.
The project consisted of three live events. Firstly, there was the keynote event: ‘Speaking Out About Social Justice’, where Year 12 students from the Law, African-Caribbean, History, and Politics societies gave presentations on how social justice has been important in these fields. The members of the online audience of Year 10 and 11 students from both schools were able to explore social justice in its multifaceted nature, both in the past and the present. The second phase of the project was a series of creative writing workshops for Years 7, 10 and 11, all led by students. These workshops involved confronting our own identities, writing about the injustices in society that we feel personally impacted by, and exploring the ways we can express that through creative writing. Finally, whilst the roots of fruitful discussion were planted during the first event, many students felt that they wanted more time to discuss, leading to the event ‘Zooming in on Social Justice’. We had the privilege of welcoming Katiann Barros-Rocha to join our panel; Katiann has been working on the Halo Code, a project that aims to reduce the discrimination inherent in the way that black people are treated based on the way they style their hair. Students were able to discuss the importance of protests in a democracy, race, and the importance of freedom of speech. Throughout the process of organising the events, we realised the significance of student involvement. The feedback from students was very important in knowing which direction to take, which was often quite different from what we expected, showing how student-led events can often have a greater impact. This project has been one of the ways that Dulwich has been able to benefit from its privileged position in the community, allowing us to work productively with other schools through our partnerships.
A chance to make a difference
On joining the College as a Year 9 pupil in 2016, my aim was to fully embrace every moment of the time that lay ahead. Now, having just spent my final year working alongside the School Captain, Max Hamilton, and my fellow Vice-Captains, James Lord and Georgy Mina, I look back and hope that I have done just that, even though it has been a year like no other. Being part of the Senior Prefect team was something in which I became interested early on: during my first term I joined Debating Society and got to know former School Captain Kenza Wilks, who ran the club. I remember thinking that I would love to be part of that team one day, so I was delighted when, in June 2020, I received the Master’s phone call inviting me to become Vice-Captain. While this was a moment of celebration, in reality I knew my work had just begun. Over the past year, I have frequently been asked ‘Is this project in line with the three main aims of the Senior Prefects 2020–21, Rohan?’ or ‘Another project, Rohan?’ Yet I have remained focused on, and passionate about, launching a plethora of initiatives, ranging from the coordination of student videos for the 2020 A-level presentation evening to collating a business case report on the North Cloister heating situation, without forgetting my personal favourites – an Indo-Aryan languages project, and a collaboration with Dulwich College International. These were not longstanding ideas, but ones that would often come to me spontaneously; the three notebooks in which I jotted down my ideas have become my prized possessions!
While it is possible that I had perhaps gained something of a reputation for my organisational zeal within the classroom before this point, the Vice-Captainship gave me a platform from which to develop these skills beyond the classroom, too. In what has been an unforgettable year, I was particularly delighted when Mr Geach, commenting on my chairing of the panel for the ‘Year 13s meet Year 11s’ discussion event, dubbed it ‘military-style and impeccable’. I have enjoyed working closely alongside the Master too. I am grateful for his guidance, which I will certainly heed beyond the College. The vice-captainship has given me an opportunity to gain a sense of the College’s inner workings, which I had previously only glimpsed. It has been an honour to have learned so much from so many of the staff. I discovered bullet-journaling, for example, from Mr Threadgould one November evening, and this has now become a daily ritual for me! I now feel I have a greater understanding than before of the sheer dedication and commitment of the College’s staff in supporting the pupils as they move through the school. I have learned the importance of cultivating resilience and a positive mindset, and of avoiding complacence. If I had a message for those students who are currently working their way up the school, it would be this: if you work hard, are engaged and show proactivity in whatever you do, you will be rewarded. Never stop!
While ‘One Voice, Two Schools’ might have been the first of its kind, we hope that it will not be the last.
Students were able to discuss the importance of protests in a democracy, race, and the importance of freedomof speech “
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